to continue building the socialist edifice in a small-peasant country without these errors.

The difficulties are immense. We have grown accustomed to struggling with immense difficulties. For something or other our enemies have called us "hard as flint" and representatives of "bone-breaking politics." But we have also learned—at least, to a certain extent we have learned—another art necessary in revolution—flexibility, the ability to change our tactics quickly and sharply, taking into account the changed objective conditions, choosing another path to our goal if the former path proved inexpedient, impossible for this given period of time.

We reckoned, swept up on the wave of enthusiasm, having awakened popular enthusiasm first of a general political character, then military, we reckoned to accomplish directly on this enthusiasm equally great (as the general political and military) economic tasks. We reckoned—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say: we assumed without sufficient calculation—through direct decrees of the proletarian state to establish state production and state distribution of products in a communist manner in a small-peasant country. Life showed us our error. A series of transitional stages was required: state capitalism and socialism, in order to prepare—through the work of long years to prepare—the transition to communism. Not directly on enthusiasm, but with the help of enthusiasm born of a great revolution, through personal interest, through personal self-interest, through economic calculation you must labor to build first solid bridges leading in a small-peasant country through state capitalism to socialism; otherwise you will not approach communism, otherwise you will not lead tens and tens of millions of people to communism. Thus life has told us. Thus the objective course of development of the revolution has told us.

And we, having learned somewhat over three and four years to make sharp turns (when a sharp turn is required), have become diligently, attentively, assiduously (although still insufficiently diligently, insufficiently attentively,

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insufficiently assiduously) to learn a new turn, the "New Economic Policy." The proletarian state must become a cautious, thrifty, skilled "master," a reliable wholesale merchant—otherwise it cannot place the small-peasant country on a sound economic footing, there is no other transition to communism now, in these conditions, alongside a capitalist (still capitalist) West. A wholesale merchant—it is as it were an economic type, as far from communism as heaven is from earth. But this is precisely one of those contradictions which in living life leads from small peasant farming through state capitalism to socialism. Personal self-interest increases production; we need an increase in production above all and at any cost. Wholesale trade unites millions of small peasants economically, interesting them, binding them, bringing them to a further stage: to various forms of connection and union in production itself. We have already begun the necessary restructuring of our economic policy. We already have in this sphere certain—true, small, partial, but nonetheless undoubted—successes. We are already completing, in this field of new "science," the preparatory class. Learning firmly and persistently, verifying by practical experience each of our steps, not fearing to redo what has been begun repeatedly, to correct our errors, paying careful attention to their significance, we shall move on to the next classes. We shall pass through the whole "course," although the circumstances of world economics and world politics have made it far longer and more difficult than we would have wished. At any cost, however heavy may be the sufferings of the transitional period, the calamities, the hunger, the devastation, we shall not lose heart in spirit and shall bring our cause to a victorious end.

14.X. 1921.
"Pravda" No. 234, October 18, 1921

Signature: N. Lenin

Printed from the manuscript
153
DRAFT RESOLUTION OF THE POLITBURO OF THE CC RCP(b) ON THE ASSIGNMENT OF A. G. SHLYAPNIKOV TO FOOD PROCUREMENT WORK

To confirm the decision of the Orgburo; to point out again the complete incorrectness of the conduct of comrade Shlyapnikov, who declared in the Orgburo that he would not obey; to request the Central Control Commission and the CCC, for what period they consider it possible to release comrade Shlyapnikov for food procurement work without harm to the work of the Central Control Commission.

Written October 14, 1921

Printed for the first time, from the manuscript
154
DRAFT RESOLUTION OF THE POLITBURO OF THE CC RCP(b)

1) To summon Guseinov and Akhundov immediately.
2) To demand strictly a complete cessation of factional struggle in Baku and Azerbaijan.
3) To confirm that for factional struggle they will be expelled from the party.
4) To entrust the comrades sent from the RSFSR to Azerbaijan with verifying the execution thereof.
5) To entrust Stalin to draw up by Monday a draft directive on the implementation of the national policy of the Communist Party in Azerbaijan.
6) Concerning Persia to confirm most strictly immediately.

Written October 15, 1921

First printed in 1958
in the journal
"Questions of the History of the CPSU" No. 2

Printed from the manuscript
155